I couldn't make out why
the dickens Brown was always sweeping out my room, and I took up this
thing a little time ago and looked at it. This is what I found."
"Where's Brown?" Quest asked quickly.
"I rang down for the chief steward," the Captain continued, "and ordered
Brown to be sent up at once. The chief steward came himself instead. It
seems Brown went off without his wages but with a huge parcel of bedding,
on the first barge this morning, before any one was about."
Quest groaned as he turned away.
"Captain," he declared, "I am ashamed. He has been here all the time and
we've let him slip through our fingers. Girls," he went on briskly,
turning towards Laura, who had just come up, "India's off. We'll catch
this barge, if there's time. Our luggage can be put on shore when the boat
docks."
The Captain walked gloomily with them to the gangway.
"I shall miss you all," he told Laura.
She laughed in his face.
"If you ask me, I think you'll be glad to be rid of us."
"Not of you, Miss Laura," he insisted.
She made a little grimace.
"You're as bad as Mr. Harris," she declared. "We'll come for another trip
with you some day."
They left him leaning disconsolately over the rails. The Professor and
Quest sat side by side on one of the trunks which was piled up on the
barge.
"Professor," Quest asked, "how long would it take us to get to this Mongar
village you spoke about?"
"Two or three days, if we can get camels," the other replied.
Pages:
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251